Speakers suggest sustainable plastic management

Speakers in a joint seminar focused on sustainable plastic waste management in Bangladesh to protect the environment through progressive policies and regulations.

The seminar on ‘Adopting Circular Economy for Sustainable Plastic Management in Bangladesh’ was held to mark World Environment Day, said a press statement on Saturday.

The joint seminar was organised by the Department of Environment (DoE), Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. (UBL), World Bank, UNIDO and Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BPGMEA) at the DoE Auditorium in Agargaon of Dhaka.

The seminar was organised to consult with stakeholders, including the private sector companies and international development organisations to exchange knowledge and discuss way-forward to reduce the impact plastic waste has on the environment. The seminar featured expert keynote presentations on plastic circularity, plastic waste management policy and marine littering.

The speakers discussed global best practices on plastic circularity, which focus on collecting and recycling the thrown-away plastic waste so that the environment is unharmed and highlighted the critical role that the private sector can play to holistically improve the ecosystem.

They agreed that the smartest way to keep plastic in a loop that does not impact the planet is to ensure the collection and recycling of plastic waste. The panellists also discussed the importance of relevant and practical policy approaches from the Government like facilitating the recycling industry and regulating non-recyclable plastic use to improve the situation.

In the first panel on ‘Circularity as the Solution to Plastic Pollution’, M Masrur Reaz, chairman and founder of Policy Exchange Bangladesh, gave the keynote speech. Uzma Chowdhury, director of PRAN-RFL Group, Shamim Ahmed, president of BPGMEA, Arif M Faisal, programme specialist (Nature, Climate and Energy) of UNDP Bangladesh and Shamima Akhter, director of Corporate Affairs, Partnerships and Communications of UBL, spoke as panellists.

In his discussion, Shamim Ahmed, president of BPGMEA, said, “Plastic is essential as a lightweight and cost-effective material so it is an important raw material for manufacturers to keep product prices affordable. Plastic is not the problem, waste management is the challenge. Therefore, an inclusive policy which enables and encourages the plastic circularity would benefit the industry.”

In the second panel on ‘Enabling Policy to Tackle Plastic Pollution’, Kartik Kapoor, member of WGGLI, ISWA, independent consultant for waste management, and waste expert GIZ India, gave the keynote speech. Rashedul Quayum, legal director and company secretary at UBL, Shamim Ahmed, president of BPGMEA, Dr Rene Van Berkel, UNIDO representative and head of regional office in India of UNIDO, and Heedong Kwon, head of Net-Zero Business Dept, SUDOKWON Landfill Site Management Corp of Korea spoke as panellists. Bushra Nishat, environment specialist at The World Bank chaired this panel.

In his remarks, special guest Md Jashim Uddin, president, The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said, ‘The plastic industry is growing exponentially growing in Bangladesh. Compared to the global average of around 9 per cent, almost 40 per cent of plastic is recycled in Bangladesh. The informal sector is a key player in this contribution, and the situation could be improved significantly if we all come forward and invest smartly to provide better value for waste. Hence, we need cross-sectoral collaboration, learn from best practices and have an enabling policy that will formalise the informal sector, and support and grow the plastic waste management ecosystem.”